Environmentalists: Ban oil exploration immediately

On April 18th, the Council of Ministers in Brazzaville granted permission for the expansion of the oil and gas sector. The so-called Niambi permit would allow the company ORIENTAL Energy to explore for oil in an area measuring almost 1,300 square kilometers and is largely located in the park's core protection zone.

Congolese and international environmental organizations, including Rainforest Rescue, are calling for an immediate ban on oil and mining activities in the Conkouati-Douli National Park.

According to the declaration, the awarding of concessions violates Congolese laws protecting the park. According to Article 6 of Decree 99-13, any mining or oil activities are strictly prohibited in the protected zones of the park. Most of the Niambi permit falls within these prohibited areas. They are home to rare and endangered species such as lowland gorillas, hawksbill turtles and Atlantic humpback dolphins.

​Lowland gorilla habitat affected

In addition, the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and local communities that depend on the area's forests and marine ecosystems are also threatened. The Conkouati-Douli National Park is home to around 7,000 people.

In the declaration, the environmentalists and Indigenous organizations call on the President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Saddou Nguesso, not to sign the decree. In addition, all previous granted permits for oil and mining in the park and the surrounding areas should be revoked.

The organizations also call on the government's international partners to make financial support for nature conservation dependent on the protection of these areas and the rights of the Indigenous peoples and local communities.

The government's plan raises doubts as to whether it will fulfill its commitment to protect 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, the Indigenous Peoples Act of 2011 and international obligations to protect human rights.

​Threat of oil exploration in the Democratic Republic of Congo

It is not only the government in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, that is attacking the forests of the Congo Basin, but also the government in neighboring Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has recently awarded 52 oil blocks in sensitive areas, including the huge fragile peatlands of the Cuvette Centrale. In 2022, it had tried—so far in vain—to auction off 27 oil concessions throughout the country. Together with partner organizations, we have launched the petition DRC: Do not sacrifice the Congo's rainforests to the oil industry.

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